Aureole

34 East 61st Street; New York NY  212-319-1660
 

(June 10, 2008).  Who knows what finally lured us to this Upper East Side treasure but whatever it was we are now firm fans. 

As usual with a first visit, we had the tasting menu, at $38 for three courses this may be the lunch bargain of the western world. 

Our amuse bouche of smoked salmon belly with a chive sauce tipped us off that we were in for a treat.  Gary’s chilled asparagus and ricotta with a truffled leek vinaigrette was topped with a sunny side up egg and it all blended together well. 

Varian’s soft shell crabs were sauteed and served with mangoes and scallions and an Asian style soy lime vinaigrette. 

Gary’s saffron braised rabbit with paparadelle, chick peas olives and parsley made him homesick for Nice, while Varian’s grilled hangar steak with marinated onions, wilted baby spinach and a white bean puree couldn’t have been better. 

For dessert, Gary’s plate and a firm chocolate mouse with peanuts and syrup and ice cream with vanilla sauce.  Uncharacteristically, instead of cheese, Varian had a bowl of luscious fresh berries.

Throughout the meal we ordered our wines by the glass so we could experiment.  The four we tried, two each not four each thank you very much, were a 2007 rose from Mas de la Dame in les Baux and a Sauvignon Blanc Panacea from Napa.  The reds were a 2003 Chianti Classico Riserva and a 2005 Malbec and Cabernet from the Mendoza region of Argentina. 

The decor is quite understated, leaving room for some dramatic floral displays.  Alas, however, this intimate and relaxed address will soon be closing to move to a new one in the Bank of America Building at 42nd and 6th.  Lunches will be served at this address only for the next month or two, so get there while you can.

 

 

 

 

 

Union Square Cafe

21 East 16th Street; New York, NY 10003 212-989-352

(June 9, 2008). For us, this is the NYC restaurant that we try to visit on our two week-long visits to NYC each year. Danny Meyer’s concept of friendly service combined with the always appealing menu never ceases to delight.

Asiate, NYC 2

80 Columbus Circle at 60th 212-805-8881

(June 11, 2008). Intrigued by its Zagat rating as the “best decor in town,” we found ourselves seated on the 35th floor of this stunning restaurant overlooking Central Park and east down 59th Street.

Oceana, NYC 2

When we went to Oceana in December, Linda and I decided that it is the best fish and seafood restaurant in New York. Our return visit with John on May 20, 2008 reconfirmed that opinion.

Aquavit, NYC

Aquavit always seems to get mixed reviews although the cuisine sounds interesting. So we tried it on May 18, 2008, with David and Frédérique. It was terrific. 

Insieme, NYC

Insieme opened just over a year ago to a lot of anticipation in the food press. Its owners had already made a big success of Hearth, hidden away on the Lower East Side. When they opened in the heart of tourist Manhattan at 51st Street and 7th Avenue, the reviews came out quickly and were mildly favorable, usually commenting that improvement was expected.

Picholine, NYC 4

Picholine has long been a favorite of ours for dining before an event at Lincoln Center. In 2006 it was redecorated and the menu became more ambitious. The reward was a second star in the last NYC Michelin.

The Café Sabarsky, NYC

This Viennese Café is part of the Neue Galerie, the museum of Austrian and German art next to our apartment building at 86^th Street and Fifth Avenue. It does a good business all day long serving Viennese pastries, but it also has a breakfast menu from 9 to 11 and then meals, Schmankerln, until closing, which is at 6 or 9 depending on the day (or at 5 if there is cabaret in the café that evening.)

Daniel, NYC

Daniel has two stars in the Michelin Guide. There are only three restaurants in New York rated above it with three stars. It is one of five restaurants receiving the top rating from the New York Times, although they have not reviewed it for seven years. It shares the top food rating with six others in Zagats. So one expects it to be quite special.

Asiate, NYC

As regular readers of this blog know, I really like good Asian fusion cuisine. I had wanted to try Asiate, which describes its menu as an “artistic and modern approach to Asian-inspired cuisine.” The 2008 Zagats says:

“Plan to be blown away by the “breathtaking views” “high above Central Park” – as well as “beautiful” decor rated No. 1 in NYC – as you savor “exciting” Japanese-French “fusion at its best” and enjoy “impeccable” service at chef Noriyuki Sugie’s “posh” dining room at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel; if the “sky-high” setting doesn’t induce vertigo, the towering tab may – though the $24 lunch prix fixe is a “bargain”.”

Gramercy Tavern 4

 

Lewis and I, Linda, have celebrated many a mutual spring birthday at Gramercy Tavern, long before this blog originated, but on April 22, 2008, we held a special luncheon celebration at our favorite quiet windowside table in the restaurant’s back room.

Eighty One, NYC

Eighty One is the third in the new series of upscale restaurants on the Upper West Side, the other two recent openings being Telepan and Dovetail. So to check it out Linda and I went to Eighty One for dinner on April 17, 2008.

Dovetail, NYC

Dovetail opened in late December 2007 and so when Jim, Linda and I went for dinner on January 11, 2008, we became among the first to try Dovetail. We can happily report that there are now three restaurants with first-class food on the Upper West Side. (Picholine and Telepan are the other two.)

The Sea Grill in Rockefeller Center

January 10, 2008 we went to The Sea Grill in Rockefeller Center with Ron and June before a performance of The Seafarer. We were shown to a table right by the glass wall that fronts on the skating rink and were able to watch skaters with a wide range of skills during our meal.

Trattoria Toscana, NY 2

Having read Varian and Gary’s great review of Trattoria Toscana, we have been hoping to try it. An opportunity presented itself on January 5, 2008,when we decided to go to the late afternoon movie at the International Film Center near the other end of Carmine Street in the West Village.

Annisa, NY 3

We went back to Annisa for dinner on January 4, 2008 with Andrea and Tony. We received a warm welcome. After considerable discussion with our excellent waiter, Michael, we ordered the seven-course tasting menu at $88

Esca, NY

Esca is a focused restaurant. If you do not want fish or seafood cooked in an Italian style, go somewhere else. Even the wine list is all Italian. Linda and I went for lunch on Saturday, December 22, 2007, as Esca’s location at 43^rd Street and Ninth Avenue is convenient to the theater district.

Rosanjin, NY 2

Our Kaiseki meal at Rosanjin last March was memorable in several ways:
1. The quality of the ingredients, many of them unfamiliar to us, and their excellent preparation;
2. The artistic presentation and the lovely serving dishes;
3. The gracious welcome from Mr. Park and the time he spent explaining things to us;
4. The interesting blogpost I was able to do afterwards, my first really good one.

When Linda and I returned to Rosanjin on December 20, 2007, Mr. Park greeted us warmly and thanked us for the blog posting. 

Oceana, NY

Margaret invited Marilee, Linda and me to Town Hall on West 43^rd  Street for the live broadcast of The Prairie Home Companion on Saturday evening, December 16, 2007.

Telepan, NY

Bill Telepan, a chef with an established New York reputation, created a lot of interest when he opened this restaurant two years ago near Lincoln Center. The critics have been nice to Telepan, but have been optimistic about its potential more than its reality. Linda and I went for the first time on December 12, 2007.